AstroFest, a music festival headlined by rapper, Travis Scott, leaves ten people dead and hundreds more fighting for their lives as outrage sparks worldwide.  

On November 5th, over 50,000 fans stormed the concert venue and the massive crowd migrated towards the front stage, many victims getting trampled, asphyxiated, or crushed in the process. 

 It’s not a common occurrence for concerts to result in mass death, so the tragedy left many people in shock as grief quickly followed what was intended to be an exciting event. 

Those who have attended concerts before were especially concerned.

In contrast to what happened at AstroFest, Amaris Vasquez, sophomore, details another, more positive concert,  “I went to a Harry Styles Concert this year; it was so good. He gave us a little speech and told us, after being inside so long [because of quarantine], that it was nice to see us again. About 18,000 people were there and it was nice to bond over music; everyone was making friends and singing. That’s why it was kind of a shock to hear about what happened at Travis’ concert,”

Most recently on Sunday, November 14th, Ezra Blount became the youngest victim, aged nine years old, a week after being trampled in the crowd at AstroFest.  

Which raised the question: Should concerts have age requirements?  

Amaris offers some insight, “I think some concerts should have age limits, but it really depends on the artist.”  

Jayah Sneed, senior, brings to light a very interesting perspective, “I mean Travis Scott literally had an event on Fortnite, which a lot of kids play. You can’t even blame them for being there. A lot of concerts are for all ages. I think the oldest victim was like 27, so even if there were no children at AstroFest, people still would’ve died. Concerts shouldn’t have to have age limits. What happened was a matter of poor management and carelessness.” 

And even parents have their thoughts on the controversy. Lexly Davis, a mother of two, one of which is a senior and the other aged ten years old,  explains, “Concerts most definitely should have age limits. Of course, I’d let my oldest go. He can generally handle himself. But my youngest daughter… nope! Some kids are just way too young to go to those kinds of events.” 

But nonetheless, some believe that even kids should be able to enjoy a part of the nightlife experience.  

Bryson Green, senior, retells his own experience, “I went to an Ariana Grande concert when I was 16, and I had the time of my life. Granted, she has a different audience, but if you bring a child to a concert, it’s supposed to create positive memories and no parent would put their child in a life-threatening situation if they knew any better.”

Bryson then expands on the topic, “It’s dangerous everywhere and that’s a risk we take every day when we leave our houses”.

As we recover from this misfortune, we hope to see imminent changes within the concert scene.